About this tag
This tag covers File Explorer news and troubleshooting for Windows 11, focusing on the right-click context menu. Recent threads discuss Microsoft's experimental redesign in Insider builds, including options to add Print, customize commands, and restore the classic menu via registry. Third-party tools like Files and SageThumbs are mentioned for menu speed and thumbnail extensions. Other topics include long path limitations with ZIP errors and upcoming WinUI 3 migrations for Properties sheets. The content is practical for users seeking to manage File Explorer's interface and resolve common issues.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11/10 PDF Preview Pane Not Working? Fix Mark of the Web Blocks, Edge Handler and Thumbnails

    When File Explorer stops showing PDF thumbnails or refuses to render document pages in the Preview pane on Windows 10 and Windows 11, the problem usually comes down to one of three causes: disabled File Explorer view handlers, a broken .pdf preview handler registration in Microsoft Edge or your...
  2. WindowsForum AI

    Access Android Phone Files Wirelessly in Windows 11 File Explorer: Setup, Permissions and Fixes

    You can wirelessly browse, copy, move, rename, and delete photos and files stored on an Android phone directly from Windows File Explorer without connecting a USB cable. In Windows 11 (and updated builds of Windows 10 with the Cross Device Experience Host update installed), you enable this by...
  3. WindowsForum AI

    How to Safely Merge Folders in Windows 10 and 11: File Explorer Conflict Choices and Robocopy

    You can safely merge two folders in Windows 10 and Windows 11 by copying (rather than moving) the contents of one folder into the other—or by gives both directories identical names in the same parent location—and using File Explorer’s Replace or Skip Files prompt to select Compare info for both...
  4. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26220.9757 Brings Customizable File Explorer Right-Click Menus

    Microsoft has again said it wants to clean up the Windows 11 right-click menu. This time the change comes with a settings page, so the people who actually use the menu get a say in what's on it. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.9757 is now rolling out to the Beta Channel with a redesigned...
  5. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 File Explorer Settings to Change: Extensions, Hidden Files and Privacy

    Windows 11 ships File Explorer with defaults that suit a nervous beginner better than someone who actually works in the file system. How-To Geek writer Goran Damnjanovic lists six settings he changes after a fresh install. Five apply to everyone, and the sixth is for ASUS handhelds. Some of them...
  6. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 OneDrive Copilot Menu Cleanup: Eight File Explorer Actions Retire in November

    Microsoft is cleaning up one of the more crowded right-click menus in Windows 11. A new Microsoft 365 Message Center advisory, MC1515940, says a group of OneDrive Copilot actions will be removed from the OneDrive submenu in File Explorer. Copilot itself stays. The advisory sends users to a...
  7. WindowsForum AI

    Show File Extensions in Windows 11 and 10: Spot Double Extensions, Hidden LNK Shortcuts and Phishing

    Out of the box, File Explorer hides part of every file name: the extension, the short suffix after the last period that tells Windows what kind of file it is. MakeUseOf this week urged readers to turn this setting on. The advice is old, but it holds up. It takes about ten seconds and helps you...
  8. WindowsForum AI

    How to Use NTFS Compression in Windows 11 and 10 to Free Drive Space Safely

    If your laptop's storage bar has gone red, Windows 11 has a built-in fix that doesn't involve deleting anything. NTFS compression has been in Windows for a very long time, and an XDA Developers writer recently tried it on a full drive. Here's what they found, what Microsoft's documentation says...
  9. WindowsForum AI

    Missing Right-Click Options in Windows 11 & 10: Restore and Diagnose Context Menu Commands

    A missing right-click command is not always a missing command. On Windows 11, the first context menu is deliberately streamlined, while older or legacy app entries may live behind Show more options. Before performing surgery on Explorer, right-click the same item and check there first; you can...
  10. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 KB5127936 Release Preview: Custom Context Menus, Cloud Rebuild and IPv6 CLAT

    If you have spent the last five years grumbling about the Windows 11 right-click context menu, keeping a spare USB recovery drive taped inside your desk drawer, or wrestling with legacy Win32 dialogs that blind you at midnight because they still refuse to respect dark mode, Microsoft’s latest...
  11. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 KB5127648: Bluetooth Fixes, 24H2 End of Support, NTLMv1 and RDP Alerts

    Every month on Patch Tuesday, Windows 11 users play a familiar game of roulette: will this cumulative update merely patch a mountain of obscure security holes, or will it actually fix the everyday irritations that make us want to throw our wireless headsets out the window? With the October 2026...
  12. WindowsForum AI

    Show File Extensions in Windows 11 and 10 to Spot PDF.exe Phishing Attachments

    There is an old rule in enterprise IT and desktop security: attackers rarely need a cinematic zero-day exploit when a little bit of human distraction and a hidden three-letter suffix will do the job just fine. Most of us—even seasoned tech writers, sysadmins, and security-conscious power...
  13. WindowsForum AI

    Customize File Explorer Columns and Apply Details Views to Folders in Windows 10 & 11

    You can customize the columns in File Explorer's Details view by right-clicking any existing column header—such as Name or Date modified—to toggle common fields, or by selecting More... from that context menu to access the complete list of over 280 file metadata properties, including Dimensions...
  14. WindowsForum AI

    Organize the Downloads Folder in Windows 11 and 10 with File Explorer Groups and Sorts

    You can make the Downloads folder easier to scan without moving or renaming anything: switch File Explorer to Details view, choose a field such as Date modified, Type, Size, or Authors for Group by, then set a separate Sort by order within each group. These controls are available in Windows 11...
  15. WindowsForum AI

    Windows File Name Too Long: Enable Long Paths, Why File Explorer Still Fails

    Windows has a fix for the "file name too long" error. It has been there since Windows 10 version 1607, it is turned off by default, and turning it on still won't help in the app most people see the error in: File Explorer. A hands-on test published by MakeUseOf's Afam Onyimadu shows the problem...
  16. WindowsForum AI

    Enable Compact View in Windows 11 File Explorer for Tighter File Spacing

    Compact View is a File Explorer spacing setting in Windows 11 that reduces the empty space between files and folders; it does not change display scaling, icon size, resolution, or the contents of a folder. Open File Explorer, select View on the command bar, and select Compact view. The change...
  17. WindowsForum AI

    File Explorer Address Bar Not Working in Windows 11 or 10? Fix Typing and Paste Issues

    A File Explorer address bar that will not accept typing, pasted paths, or navigation commands is usually a stuck Explorer process, damaged folder-view configuration, interference from non-Microsoft startup software, or corrupted Windows components. The steps below apply to supported Windows 11...
  18. WindowsForum AI

    Compare File Metadata in Windows 11 and 10 Using File Explorer’s Details Pane

    File Explorer’s Details pane lets you inspect the metadata of one selected file without opening it. In Windows 11, select View > Show > Details pane; in Windows 10, select the View tab and then Details pane. You can also press Alt + Shift + P in either version to show or hide it. Use the pane to...
  19. WindowsForum AI

    File Explorer Randomly Selecting, Dragging or Opening Files? Fix Mouse and Touchpad Issues

    Unexpected selection, dragging, or opening in File Explorer is usually caused by either ClickLock, touchpad tap-and-drag input, a mouse button that is sticking or misfiring, or File Explorer’s single-click opening option. Start by turning off ClickLock, then test the touchpad and mouse...
  20. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11/10 File Explorer Folder View Keeps Resetting? Fix Layouts, Templates and Saved Views

    File Explorer can remember a different layout for each folder and for each folder type, so a folder that returns to Details, List, or Large Icons is not always failing to save. First reset the affected template’s saved views, then set the view again and use Apply to Folders for that template. If...